Infant carrier



L. CHAMBERLAIN My 22,A 1945.

INFANT CARRIER Filed Deo. 4, 1943 Patented May 22, 1945 2,376,651 INFANT 'CARRIER Lydia Chamberlain, Three Oaks, Mich., assignor to The Warren Featherbone Co., Three Oaks, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application December 4, 1943, Serial No. 512,883

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a device for carrying. -babies or young children, and more particularly to a device which may be hung across the shoulder of the older person carrying the infant and in which an infant child can be carried while leaving the arms of the older person free for use, as for instance in shopping or traveling or pleasure jaunts, or the like.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a, light weight carrier which is comfortable for the baby or infant child, which can be slung over the shoulder of a person so that the weight of the baby is wholly borne by the shoulder of the person and not by his or her arms, and wherein the baby is carried in a normal position as it would be when carried in the arms; to provide a carrier for infants of the foregoing character which carries the infant so that the infants head can rest on the shoulder of the person carrying the child and so that the person can have free use of both hands and with:1 out fear that the infant will slip or fall out of the carrier; to provide a strong, light, washable fabric device adjustable to t the stature ofthe person carrying the infant, which permits carrying the child in a sitting or reclining position; to provide a carrier of the foregoing type which will hold an infant wholly from the shoulder of the older person, which deviceis adjustable to either shoulder; to provide a carrier of the foregoing construction which is waterproof and which is also designed to protect and reinforce the back of the child being carried; to provide a device of the foregoing character which may be used as a sort of harness when the child is walking, which will support the child while walking and which alternatively may be used for carrying the child in the manner hereinbefore set forth; to provide these and other objects of invention as will be apparent from a perusal of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view of a woman carrying an infant in the carrier forming the subject matter of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one form of the invention;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of the bottom portion of the carrier showing the construction thereof.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the devicel comprises a front portion 2 and a back vlill washable. The front portion 2 is out away as at B and 8 with the edges thereof properly bound and stitched as at I0 and l2 for reinforcement.

The vertical side edges I4 of the front piece 2 are stitched to the front vertical edges of the rear piece 4, and these meeting edges are suitably bound together and stitched as at I6 to4 provide strong reinforced vertical side edges. The rear piece 4 preferably extends upwardly as at I8 to provide a back reinforcing and protecting flap 20, the upper edge of which is bound as at 22 to form' a continuation of the binding I6. A reinforcing strip 24 is stitched to the rear wall 4 by means of the upper and lower bindings 26 and 28, the stitching being formed along the lines 30 and 32, as shown clearly in Figures 2 and 3, whereby the back is amply reinforced just opposite and slightly below the front upper edge 34 of the front portion 2. A suitable button or other fastening member 36 passes through the stitched piece 24 and the back piece 4 for the purpose of receiving a buckle clasp 38 adjustable on the end of a strap 4l) securely sewed as at 42 to the opposite side of the vertical seam it. This strap lll is of suitable length to-pass over the shoulder of the wearer, as shown in Figure l, and it is evident that it may be arranged so that the baby carrier may be adjusted so that it may be worn on either side of the person carrying the baby.

At the bottom the front piece t is stitched to the back piece l by means of a double fold seam M in thermanner shown in Figure 3, the ends of the seam Mi lying under and being held in place by stitching passing through the bindings and lli. The rear member l is preferably formed with pleats as at t6 and 48 to allow fullness of the back member. In addition, these pleats of the back member extend clear around the side of the leg openings 5B and 52, as shown at 54 in Fig-V ures l and 2.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a very simple device or carrier for carrying infant children, and in a manner so that the person carrying the child will have free use of his or her arms, and in a manner such that the child may be carried in anupright position with its body facing the person who does the carrying, and with the crotch of the infant generally somewhat at the hip of the person. In this way the reinforcing strip 24 will suitably reinforce the back of the infant and the flap 20 will come Well up to the shoulder of the infant so that the back of the child is fully protected and reinforced. In

2 asvaesv addition it will be seen that there is practically no likelihood or danger of the child falling, since it is facing the person doing the carrying and is in substantially the normal position in which it would be carried if carried in the arms of the mother. It will be noted that by reason vof the leg holes 50 and 52 and the generous width of the portion M separating the leg holes 50 and 52, a very generous, comfortable seat is provided for the infant, without crowding or pinching the legs of the infant. The fastening means, such as l0 and Il, is not only made adjustable, but is arranged so that the fastening is very accessible for releasing the child when it is desired to let him down. It is also apparent thatV the device is so made that it may alternatively be used as a carrier for the child permitting the latter to walk while the strap 49 can be used as a leash, or the device may be used, as well, as a support for a walking child and lifting or alternatively for carrying the child. In fact it may be used as a device to facilitate teaching the child to walk. while at the same time supporting a portion of the weight of the child during its early efforts at walking.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction disclosed herein but is capable of other modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

'I'he invention is hereby claimed as follows:

An infant carrier adapted to support an infant to the body of a person comprising, in combina- 1 armpits of the infant, the front piece and back piece at their bottoms having registering arcuate cut-outs to provide leg holes for the infant sitting in the carrier, said back piece having pleats to provide a relatively wide crotch portion be- 15 tween the two leg holes to thus support the main portion ofthe weight of the infant by the back piece, a horizontally extending strip of re-inforcing fabric sewed to the back piece substantially at the level of the upper edge of the front piece, and

20 an elongated carrier strap having one end thereof connected to one side of the carrier so as to be attached to a 'portion of the front and back pieces and the reinforcing strip, and means on the opposite end of the carrier strap adapted to cooperate 25 with a fasteningdevice positioned on the reinforcinar strip at a point slightly inward of the edge on the other side of the carrier, said strap being of suiileient length to be carried across the shouldervof a person for carrying the infant in substan- ,o tially the normal position in which it would be carried if carried in the arms of said person.

LYDIA CHAMBERLAIN.. 

